Life-boat-launching means.



No. 846,770 PATENTBD MAR. 12, 1907.

'R. ZOLLING. I

LIFE BOAT LA'UNGHING MEANS. APPLICATION FILED JALLZS. 1904. nnmzwnn JAN. 9, 1901.

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PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907- R. ZOLLING. LIFE BOAT LAUNGHING MEANS. APPLIOATIOK FILED JAN. 25, 1904. RENEWED a. 9, lo

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WW E5555 RICHARD ZOLLING, OF

LlFE-BOAT-LAU Specification of Letters Patent.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

NCHING MEANS.-

Patented. March 12, 1907.

Application filed January 25, 1904. Renewed January 9,:1907. Serial No. 351,566.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I RICHARD ZOLLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, county of Alameda, State of California,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Boat-Launching Means; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful means for launching/lifeboats from vessels, the object being tofacilitate and to expedite the launchingbf the same clear of thevessels side, at the same time permitting the launching of the boat with less men than at present required to handle such boats during the lowering thereof.

To comprehend the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a detail broken side view in elevation disclosing the life-boat in position when not required for use, said view 1llus trating the davits for supporting the lifeboat when swung clearof the vessels and which are required for use during the raising of the said boat from within the water. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the mechanism set forth in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the life-boat being illustrated as swung clear of the vessels side and ready for lowering, the supporting-cradle being in its lowered position. Fig. 3 is an end view in elevation of the mechanism set forth in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the parts being similarly positioned, one of the davits and one of the supporting-arches for the boats cradle being broken away for clearness of illustration; and Fig. 4 is a similar view of the mechanism disclosed by Fig. 3 of the drawings, the parts being similarly positioned.

It will be understood that a number of life-boats are arranged at each side of large seagoing vessels, but no attempt has been made to illustrate more. than one life-boat and its actuating mechanism in the present case, inasmuch as said launching means would be duplicates. Neither has it been deemed essential to disclose the vessel itself, other than so much as answers to designate the relative location of the launching means for one life-boat.

In the drawings the numeral 1 is used to designate the upper deck of any style of .vessel, and 2 the side rail thereof.

The life-boat davits are represented by the,

numerals 3 3, which davits are of the usual form at present used for supporting lifeboats during the operation of lowering and raising of the same.

At suitable intervals alo the deck 1 of the vessel the sup orting-arc es 4 4 are arthe life-boat 5, as hereinafter explained. There are two arches for each cradle, which probes also preferably support the platorm 5 ends 6 6, united by the'longitudinal tie rods 7. Each end piece of the cradle is provided with a long depe'ndin leg 7 and a short de pending leg 7 which egs preferably straddle the arches 4 4 and carry the rolls8 -8', mounted upon the shafts 8 extending through the legs 7 7?. These rolls work preferably within the segment-shaped slots 9, one bein out in each of the arches 4 4, Figs. 3 and 4 o the drawings;

Frompoints 10 to 10 the upper forward surface of each arch is formed at a downward inclination, the inclination being somewhat abrupt from' point 11 to 10. The shape of the segment sha ed slots or openings 9 correspond with t atof the upper surface of the forward ortion of the arches 4 4, although the ower extremity of the said slots terminate a slight distance below the point 10 of the said arches.

The inward movement of the cradle is limited by the shoulders 12, upwardly ex- 4 of the drawings, while the downward and tilting movement of the said cradle is limited by the shoulders 12, formed at the point 10 of the arches, Fi 3 of the drawings, against which shoulders oearespectively, the inner and outer longitudinal tie-rods connecting the ends of the cradle.

The upper surface or edge of each end of the cradle is shaped to receive the life-boat and firmly hold the same seated therein when the cradle is in its raised position, Fig. 3 of the drawings. To this extent the cradle is the same as the cradles ordinarily employed for supporting the life-boats when not in use.

The cradle is held in its raised position by LN suitable means. In the drawings a simpli and eflective means'for so holding the cradle is illustrated, the same comprising ltw'o hook-arms 13 13, which engage with a Stud 14, inwardly projecting from each end ranged, which are es uphold the cradle for The cradle for the life-boat comprises the tending from the arches at the point 10, Fig.

piece of the cradle. These hook-arms are] secured to the rock-shaft 14, one near each end of the said shaft, which shaft extends through the arches 4 4 a short distance back of the upper terminal point of the segmental shaped guide slots or openings 9. This rockshaft 14 is operated to move the hook-arms 13 13 out of or into engagement with the studs 14 of the cradle to release or lock the same by means of the lever 15, fulcrumed to one of the arches-say arch 4. This lever is connected to a short crank-arm 15", depending from the shaft 14, by means of the connecting-rod 16, Figs. 2 and-3 of the drawings. As thus connected the rock-shaft 14 will be actuated to either lower or raise the hook-arms 13 13 to release or look the cradle in accordance with the movement imparted to the lever 15.

The cradle for the life-boat is raised after the launching of the said lifeboat by means of the cable 16, which cable works through the ulleys 17 17. The pulley 17 is attached to t 1e platform 5, while the opposing pulley 17 is secured to a hanger 18, connected to the cradle, Figs. 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings. The free end of the cable 16 is made fast to the cleat 19, located upon the platform 5.

To launch the life-boat 5, it is only required that one of the crew operate the lever 15 to throw the hook-arms 13 13 downward, so as to release the cradle, after which the cable 16 is released from its fastening or cleat 19. The weight of the lifeboat will cause the cradle to move by gravity downward at an outward inclination upon the curved portion of the arches 4. 4, the rolls 8 8 traveling within the guide slots or openings 9 of the arches. As the portion of the cradle bears upon the shoulders 12 the cradle turns outward until the rolls 8 bear against the upper surface of the guide slots or openings 9 to limit the outward turn of the cradle. The rolls 8, carried by the long legs 7 serve as the fulcra for the turning of the cradle at such point. As the cradle is thus quickly tilted, due to the inclination of the guide slots or openings 9 between the points 11 10, the life-boat is gradually moved from within its seat of the cradle and swung clear of the vessels side, being suspended from the davits 3 3 by the cables or ropes 20. These cables or ropes work through the pulleys 21 22, the free end of each being secured to fastening-cleats 22. The life-boat 5 is fastened to the lower pulleys 22, as usual. To lower the life-boat after being swung clear of the vessels side, it is only required that the cable or ropes 20 be released from the cleats 22, one man being sufficient for each rope. It .will thus be seen that only two men are required to launch and lower the life-boat, which may be placed within the water inside of two minutes from the time the i may be reached by means of one or more ladders 23, conveniently placed for this purpose. It'will be understood that after the life-boat has been launched clear of the side of the vessel the lowering thereof into the water is the same as that at present pursued in the lowering of the boats. In fact, the lowering into the water of the life-boat after being launched by the cradle and the returning of the boat to the cradle form no portion' of my invention. The invention resides in the means for launching the life' boats clear of the vessels side without the delay at present consumed by being required to first raise the said life-boat clear of its cradle preparatory to swinging the same clear of the side of the vessel for lowering it into the water.

Under the present system of placing the life-boat of seagoing vessels into the water it is necessary that the boat be first hauled up clear of the cradle and the davits then be swun outward to clear the boat ofthe vessels side,after which it is lowered into the water. Inasmuch as the life-boat weighs approximately from fifteen hundred pounds to one ton, it requires at least six men to launch the boat, three men being necessary to raise each end clear of the cradle, two men also being required to operate the guy-cable in order to swing the davits outward, so that the boat will clear the side of the vessel. Considerable time is occupied in this launching and lowering a life-boat, approximately ten to twelve minutes being consumed. It is this delay incident to the launching and lowering of the life-boat, which plays a large and important part in the saving of lives at sea,

that the present invention is designed to obviate, at the same time reducing the number of men required to put out the said life-boats. The reducing of the number of men for the launching and lowering of the life boats is an important feature, as itper 'ts the handling of a greater number of life-boats with a given number of men.

The cradle is restored-to its raised position by drawing upon the cable 16 until the upward and inward movement of'the cradle is arrested by contact with the shoulders 12, when the lever 15 is operated to throw the hook-arms 13 13 into locked engagement with the studs 14. The cradle is thus held locked in its raised position, after which the free end of the cable 16 should be made fast to the cleat 19. v

I am well aware that changes may 'be made in the arrangement of parts. and the working thereof without departing from the spirit of the present invention, the essential feature of which resides in means whereby the life-boat is launched clear of the vessels side without having first to be raised manually clear of its cradle.

men reach the platform 5. This platform) Having thus described the invention, what by Letters Patent, is-

1. A means for launching a life-boat, comprising arched supports, a' cradle movable thereon, lugs extending outwardly from the respective sides of the cradle, means detachably engaging said lugs for holding the cradle in locked position, mechanism for actuating said last-mentioned means, and guide devices carried by the cradle which coact with the arched supports, said devices after the cradle hasbeen released causing the same to moveoutward at a downward inclination so as to swing the life-boat clear thereof.

2. A means for launching a life-boat from a vessel or the like, the same comprising a pair of arched supports, a downwardlycurved guideslot formed in each support, a cradle movable upon the support, means for holding the cradlein locked position, mechanism for actuating the locking means, devices carried by the cradle for causing the same when released to move outward at a downward inclination to swing the life-boat free thereof, said devices working Within the guide-slot of the arched supports, and shoulders extending-upwardly from the arched supports at the uppermost portion of the slots for limiting the inward movement of the cradle.

3. In a life-boat-launching device, arched members having guideways extending downwardly from the top thereof, a cradle for the boat slidable between said guideways, and means for normally retaining the cradle in its innermost position, including the rock-shaft, means thereon for engaging the cradle, and operable means for the shaft.

4:. In a life-boat-launching device, arched members having guideways extending outwardly and downwardly from the top thereof, a cradle for the boat slidable by gravity from the innermost portion of said guideways, and means for normally retaining the cradle in said innermost position, including a rockshaft, meansthereon for engaging the cradle, and operable means for the shaft.

5. In a life-boat-launching device, arched 'members, having guideways extending out- -wardly and downwardly from the top thereof, a cradle for the boat slidable by gravity from the uppermost portion of said guideways, and means for normally retaining the cradle in said uppermost position, said means including lugs extending outwardly from the respective ends of the cradle, a rock-shaft extending between the arched members in the rear of said guideways, and hooks operatively connected with said rock-shaft.

6. In a life-boat-launching device, arched members, wardly and downwardly from the top thereof, a cradle for the boat slidable by gravity from the uppermost portion of said guideways, and means for normally retaining the cradle in said uppermost position, said means including lugs extending outwardl from the respective ends of the cradle, a roc -shaft extending between the arched members in the rear of said guideways, hooks operatively connected with said rock-shaft, and stops on the arched members for limiting the upward and downward movement of the cradle.

having guideways extending out- 7.. In a life-boat-launching device, arched members having guideways thereon, a cradle for the boat slidable between said guideways and means for retaining the cradle in its normal position, said means including lugs on the cradle, a rock-shaft extending between the arched members, and means operatively connected with the rock-shaft arranged to engage said lugs.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RICHARD ZOLLING. Witnesses:

WALTER F. VANE, D. B. RICHARDS. 

